The Trolley Problem

There was indeed a printer at the nurses' station on the top floor, and Xiao Wu had little trouble printing the documents.

After setting the printer to make more copies, Xiao Wu took the freshly printed documents to Dean Yang.

The documents contained what Dean Yang had requested: the equipment configurations at the weather stations where infected people had appeared, as well as those where none had. Worried that Dean Yang might not understand what the equipment did, the higher-ups had even included its functions and specifications.

It seemed the higher-ups had already known what Dean Yang was trying to do when he made his report.

Only two pieces of equipment were specially marked in bold in the documents.

One was the weather radar; the other was the monitor in the monitoring hall.

Those two pieces of equipment were among the best installed at weather stations in the country. The monitors in particular were huge, high-resolution displays that could take up an entire wall.

"If it really spreads through images, then the monitor has to be the problem?"

Xiao Wu looked over the documents and nodded. "If that's the case, can we conclude that the patients only developed symptoms after seeing a high-resolution image of the typhoon?"

"What's high resolution?"

"Oh, it's the kind of monitor with a very clear picture." Xiao Wu paused and pointed at the monitor on the desk nearby. "Even clearer than that one."

"But these patients weren't the only ones in the hall who saw it. Other people saw it too, so why are they fine?"

"Yeah, why?"

The two looked at each other in silence. They had solved one mystery, only to find themselves caught in an even bigger one.

The information was promptly reported to the higher-ups. Even if they had already noticed, Dean Yang still had to make sure they knew.

Then, at Xiao Wu's suggestion, Dean Yang requested an extremely high-resolution monitor and a computer containing the original data for the typhoon wind-field infographic from the higher-ups.

Ding—

Xu Chen frowned and looked at Song Tian. "Little Coward, sounds like something's ringing?"

Song Tian paused the video, took off his headphones, and listened for a moment. "Are you messing with me? Isn't that your phone?"

Startled, Xu Chen searched everywhere for his phone and finally found it under his pillow.

Its powerful vibration motor made it shudder along with the ringtone, like a dying salted fish.

The call was from Grandpa Yang. Xu Chen thought about it and realized he really hadn't seen him in nearly ten days. Classes had returned to normal after the police alert was lifted, but he hadn't been able to find him in his office either.

"Hello? Grandpa Yang?"

"Xu Chen, just listen carefully. I'm going to ask you three questions."

For some reason, Dean Yang sounded extremely agitated, almost as if he were shouting at him.

Taken aback, Xu Chen glanced at Song Tian, who was watching a video with his headphones on, then ran out onto the balcony and closed the door.

"Okay, Grandpa, I'm listening. Go ahead."

"All right, I assume you've heard of the trolley problem. Five people are tied to one railway track, and one person is tied to an alternate track. An out-of-control trolley is speeding toward them, and there happens to be a lever beside you that controls the tracks. You can push it to send the trolley onto the alternate track. What would you do?"

The question stumped Xu Chen. He had heard of the famous trolley problem, which had sparked heated discussions among many thinkers, philosophers, and psychologists and remained a subject of debate to this day.

The issue was its profound interrogation of morality, questioning the idea that most moral decisions were made according to the principle of "providing the greatest benefit to the greatest number of people."

Of course, Xu Chen hadn't thought that deeply about it. Aside from the standard answer given by goofy netizens—pull the lever at the junction, make the trolley drift sideways, and earn a six-kill achievement—Xu Chen did have an answer of his own.

He just didn't understand why Grandpa Yang was asking him this.

"Grandpa, why are you asking me that?"

"Cut the nonsense and tell me!"

The voice on the phone was still agitated, but Xu Chen instinctively felt something was wrong. For as long as he could remember, he had never seen Grandpa Yang so irritable.

"I wouldn't pull the lever. I'd let the five people die."

The phone fell silent, with only the sound of breathing coming through.

"What's wrong, Grandpa Yang?"

"Good, that's great! What's your reasoning? Are you afraid of being held responsible?"

His voice finally softened.

"No. I just don't think saving other people's lives should come at the cost of someone else's."

"Very good, excellent, just like that. That was my first question. Next, let me ask you: if you were tied to the railway track and the other five people were on the alternate track, with the lever beside you and within your reach, would you pull it to sacrifice yourself and save them?"

Xu Chen frowned. "No, I wouldn't sacrifice myself. I'd pull the lever."

"Why? Do you also think you shouldn't sacrifice yourself to save others?"

"Yes." Xu Chen admitted it readily. "If I were certain to die, I wouldn't sacrifice myself to save others. I'm afraid of dying."

"What if there were twenty times as many? What if there were a hundred people tied to that track?"

Xu Chen was stunned. What kind of railway track could have a hundred people tied to it? The trolley would break down before it finished running them all over.

But he understood what Dean Yang meant. He was simply increasing the number, adding more weight to the scales. All he wanted was an answer.

But would he be willing to sacrifice himself for a hundred people? Xu Chen thought about it and found he couldn't come up with an answer.

"Looks like I've stumped you. Is it too difficult? What if there were a thousand people tied to the track? Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself... to die?"

Xu Chen was silent for a moment before he spoke. "I'd have to think about it."

"Good. What if it were ten thousand people?"

Xu Chen thought for a moment, then said with a smile, "You'd have to give me some time to leave my last words, wouldn't you?"

"Even if those people didn't know you existed, or wouldn't be grateful to you?"

"It has nothing to do with their gratitude..."

"All right, on to the third question. If your family were tied to the track, and a family of four you'd never met were on the alternate track, what would you do?"

Xu Chen was completely dumbfounded. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Grandpa, do you have to keep picking on trolleys?"

"Less nonsense. Answer!" The voice on the other end grew irritable again.

Xu Chen was stumped. He felt a little lost.

The trolley problem was called a problem not only because of the sharp moral conflict posed by the question itself. It also had many variations, branching out yet pointing straight at morality itself, forcing people to choose between two moral dilemmas.

Though Xu Chen was lost, he still pulled himself together. "I'd pull the lever."

"Oh? Then what if a hundred people were tied to the alternate track? If you pulled the lever, they'd all die because of one of your family members?"

"Even if there were thousands or tens of thousands, I'd pull it, if I could save my family at the cost of other people's lives."

"Didn't you just say saving other people's lives shouldn't come at the cost of someone else's? Were those just empty words?"

"You can sacrifice me, but not my family." Xu Chen gritted his teeth. "My family is my bottom line. I can give up everything else."

"That's... wonderful."

The phone suddenly went silent.

Xu Chen lowered it in bewilderment and saw that the call had ended.

He had transmigrated into this world and started over as a baby. To be honest, his memories of his previous world were quite hazy unless he deliberately tried to recall them, and his family in this life overlapped with his family in the last.

He wouldn't allow his family to come to harm.

On the other end, Dean Yang was beside himself with joy. He looked at the psychological analysis of Xu Chen's voice that had been sent to his monitor. A large team of psychologists had analyzed the call and sent over detailed data.

It was precise enough to identify the mental activity behind every sentence and every pause.

If Xu Chen could see it, he would surely be amazed by how completely they had figured him out.

But Dean Yang had only looked at the first annotation attached to each sentence: true.

That meant the words were true. Even if the assessment wasn't precise, they were most likely spoken from the heart.

"He's telling the truth, so that's what he really thinks. His logical humanity, chaotic humanity, and disordered humanity are all above average. If he really is the anchor, then he'll be more stable than an ordinary person. He won't be afraid of being washed away—won't be afraid of being washed away—"

Doctor Xiao Wu stared at Dean Yang in alarm. "Dean Yang, please calm down. There are only two of us left on the support team. If you collapse too, we really won't have any hope left."

There weren't just two people in the office at that moment. Looking around, one could see doctors in white coats everywhere, all slumped in their chairs, seemingly having lost all awareness, murmuring nonstop.

Taihao.

Dean Yang gave Xiao Wu a nervous look and nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. My old comrades, ah—this price. My old comrades have all had their souls lured away by Taihao."

Xiao Wu immediately covered Dean Yang's mouth in a panic. "Shh, don't say those two words. You've said them enough today. I'm scared."

Dean Yang knocked his hand away in displeasure. "Don't be afraid. Taihao is only our warning. That isn't the most pressing matter right now."

Xiao Wu watched Dean Yang busy himself nonstop, a pained expression on the doctor's face. "Dean Yang, Dean Yang, haven't you noticed? You're showing signs of delusional speech too."

Xiao Wu held another printed psychological analysis report, also an analysis of the call. The difference was that this one analyzed Dean Yang's voice. It contained large blocks of orange highlighting, as well as warnings and recommendations.

At the very bottom was the conclusion.

Presenting with mild symptoms of anxiety and paranoid mental disorder; suspected early signs of delusional speech.